Bridget's Story
by AmandaRae0825
Summary: OC's background and first three months with the Miami-Dade Crime lab / Prequel to Sick and sound / 1st story in series
1. Chapter 1- April

**APRIL**

Bridget paced up and down the long bright hallway as she waited for Horatio Caine, the day shift supervisor of the CSI's at the Miami-Dade Crime Lab. Her black high heels made a distinct clicking noise with each step she took. She was wearing black slacks and a frilly white blouse. Her hair was slicked back in a French braid. Her make-up was practically perfect, and her credentials were in hand. Her anxiousness stemmed from years of botched interviews and the legend that is Horatio Caine.

Originally from Wells, Maine Bridget decided at the age of 18 she was tired of her small town and decided to move to New York City. She hated leaving but nothing was keeping her there. Bridget was an unfortunate victim of the foster system and was shipped though many homes throughout the years. She was in an out of over a dozen homes until the age of 14 when she found her dream home. Her foster mother truly loved her and took her in as one of her own. She was in the process of adopting Bridget when tragedy struck. At the age of 17 Bridget lost the only mother figure she ever had due to a drunk driver. This event killed Bridget but she knew then she needed to do something criminal justice related as vengeance to her "mother's" death.

Bridget always wondered about her biological family. All Bridget knew was that her mother was 16 and an addict, and her father was 21 and ran when he found out she was pregnant. Hours after Bridget was born she was taken and put into the system. This fascination led her to realize she wanted to major in forensics.

Even with all of the heartache in her life she managed to become valedictorian of her high school. Her hard work landed her a full ride to college. Bridget went to NYU and got a masters degree in forensic science with a minor in criminal justice. Bridget was 23 when she finished school. She decided to move to Miami following her college graduation.

Bridget got a part time job as a high school security guard while she looked for jobs in the CSI department. Her first shot came to her when she was 25. After working two years at the high school with no luck finding a job she was granted an interview with the Fort Lauderdale Police Department. Her interview was less that ideal but still landed a job as an officer. Two years into her job at FLPD her and her partner (Andrew) were called to a burglary. The two had become romantically involved but it wasn't anything serious (so Bridget thought). It also had to be kept secret due to the policies of the department. The home invasion was a brutal one; it is something Bridget doesn't like to talk about to this day.

The victim was raped, shot, strangled and beaten. The entire house was ransacked; the victim's daughter was left screaming in her crib. Bridget quickly grabbed the little girl out of the crib and told her partner to run, she had a feeling something was wrong. Within seconds of running out the house blew up. Bridget watched in horror, her partner was stuck inside. The fire department quickly ran in to try and save him but there was no such luck. Bridget stood on the grass with the 2-year-old girl inconsolable. Bridget's boss came over trying to pry the little girl out of her hands but neither Bridget or the girl were budging.

During the investigation on the burglary it was found that Bridget and Andrew (her partner) had a romantic relationship and she was let go from the department. Bridget was devastated and thought she was never going to get another shot. After a year of looking for another job she was contacted by the Miami-Dade Police Department and asked if she would be interested in interviewing for a CSI position. Bridget jumped on this opportunity.

Bridget decided to sit on the bench in the hallway and stop pacing. Finally emerging out of his office was Horatio Caine. Horatio was a fairly tall man with red hair and piercing blue eyes. He was wearing a black suit with a blue and white undershirt. He stood in suck a way where his police badge stood out which intimated Bridget a little bit. He began walking towards her so she stood up.

"Ms. Anderson." Horatio said sternly as he put his hand out to shake hands with her.

"Lieutenant Caine." Bridget said sweetly as she shook his hand

The two walked to his office. Horatio Caine's office was made mostly of windows. The floor was a beige carpet. He had a big desk to the right of the room with a chair for him to sit in and one for her. There was a sofa to the left with two end tables, which only had lamps on them. Across from the desk there was a bookshelf, which housed dozens of books, most likely about forensics and the laws. Horatio led her to her seat and then took one himself. Bridget put her files on the table for Horatio to look at but to her surprise he didn't.

"I want to hear about the case you were involved in about a year ago" Horatio said as he leaned forward clasping his hands together leaning on the desk with his elbows.

Bridget gulped, _how did he know?_ Then it dawned on her that most, if not all of the PD's in Florida probably know what went down. She feared this was going to destroy everything.

"Yes, that was a difficult case." Bridget felt the tears start to well up in her eyes and quickly blinked to stop them. "It was a brutal burglary, the victim was badly beaten and sexually assaulted. The victim's 2-year-old daughter was left crying in the crib. I thought that-"

Horatio interrupted Bridget.

"I am aware of the case Ms. Anderson, I wanted to know about what happened afterwards. I want to know about your dismissal." Horatio was looking intently at Bridget

"Yes, yes during the investigation my personal relationship with my partner was called into question." Bridget didn't know how to react or what to say.

"Mmh…" Horatio grabbed the files on the desk.

The interview lasted a little over an hour and Horatio was impressed with her qualifications. After much consideration he decided she would be an asset to the team and offered her a position as a CSI.


	2. Chapter 2- May

**MAY**

It took about two weeks before Bridget could actually work due to the mandatory background checks and whatnot. Her first day was May 4th and she was ecstatic. She put her long silky black hair up into a ponytail and made sure her make-up was done to the T. She wore her favorite black high heels, grey slacks and a white blouse. Her badge was attached to her belt on her right side and her gun was attached to her left. Immediately getting off of the elevator at the crime lab she was greeted by Natalia Boa Vista.

"Bridget Anderson?" Natalia asked as she stuck her hand out

"The one and only!" Bridget laughed as she shook Natalia's hand

Natalia was in charge of making sure the new CSI's were well orientated. She led Bridget into one of the offices. On the way there she met all of the other team members. Most of the walls in the building were made of windows that way everything could be seen. Bridget was brought into a small room with just a table and some chairs. The two women were about to sit down and chat when Horatio banged on the glass and said

"We have a case let's go."

Bridget and Natalia were briefed over the radio on the drive to the crime scene.

"Burglary, it's brutal." Eric Delko said over the radio

Suddenly Bridget got a pit in her stomach. The last time she was called to a burglary she narrowly escaped death and was traumatized. The two women got to the scene in about 10 minuets. When they got there the colonial style house was roped off and the police were surrounding the building. Horatio was at the front door to greet the two while Ryan, Calleigh and Eric began collecting evidence.

Natalia rushed out of the car to meet Horatio while Bridget slowly followed. Bridget stepped out of the hummer that was parked on the side of the road directly facing the house. As she walked up the driveway she tried to take everything in.

The house was a grey color with maroon accents around the windows. The two-car garage was on the left side of the house with a long driveway. There was a silver Chevrolet Cobalt sitting in the driveway. The two-story home had a long pathway to the glass front door. Immediately through the front door to the left was an open space, which looked like, was used as a living/entertainment room of some sorts. To the right was a door that led to a neatly kept office. The stairs to the second floor were directly in front of the office door. Up the stairs were the bedrooms and a bathroom. Straight through the front door was a path to the kitchen.

As Bridget walked through the front door she took a deep breath. She walked into the kitchen to find a beautiful young woman murdered on her kitchen floor.

"Poor baby." Alexx said as she shook her head

"Do we have a time of death?" Horatio asked

"Looks to be just over an hour ago, the stab wound to the chest is what killed her." Alexx replied pointing out to Horatio all of the technical nitty gritty.

Eric and Calleigh were both going through the cabinets and drawers in the kitchen attempting to find a possible weapon. Ryan was going through living area and Natalia was going through the office. Bridget had a feeling and went upstairs. She walked up the stairs slowly, once she got to the top she took into account how everything was set up. To her direct right was an open door, which appeared to be the master bedroom. Straight ahead was the bathroom and to her left was another room, but the door was shut.

Bridget drew the attention of one of the police officers on the scene and signaled him to come upstairs. Bridget took a deep breath and slowly opened up the door. It was the room of a child. Bridget felt a lump in her throat as she walked through the doorway. The walls were painted purple and the carpet was grey. There was a single window on the right wall of the room, the blinds were broken but the curtains were intact. The twin bed was in the upper corner of the room against the wall, the bed was unmade but otherwise normal. There was a dresser on the wall to the left with a vanity mirror. The closet was in-between the bed and the dresser but the doors were taken off of the tracks.

Bridget slowly walked around the room accounting for everything. Suddenly she thought she heard some muffled crying. She decided to get on the floor and check underneath the bed and what she saw broke her heart.

There was a little girl curled up in a ball. She wasn't more than 5 years old, with long blonde hair and fare skin. Her green eyes were dull as if she had just been through a traumatic ordeal and she had marks all over her body. She was just wearing a pair of underwear and nothing else.

"Honey what's your name?" Bridget asked while signaling to the officer in the room to leave so the child wouldn't be spooked.

"Lilly…" The child replied

"Can you come out from under the bed?" Bridget asked with a smile "I am the only one in the room right now, it's okay."

Lilly listened and came out from underneath the bed. Bridget quickly grabbed a blanket and put it around her. The two sat on the floor across from each other. Bridget's back was facing the door and Lilly's eyes were fixated on her so neither one of them noticed Horatio standing at the door watching.

"Sweetie, can you tell me what happened?" Bridget asked as she moved Lilly's hair out of her face

"S… Someone hurt mommy." Lilly said as she clutched her teddy bear

"How old are you?" Bridget asked the girl

"4" Lilly replied as she help up 4 fingers on her hand

"Four!" Bridget exclaimed, "You're such a big girl!" Bridget smiled

"Wanna see teddy?" Lilly asked as she held out her teddy bear to the CSI

"Ohh! Teddy is so handsome! Who gave you teddy?" Bridget tried to get any information out of her without scaring her.

"Daddy!" Lilly laughed

"Where is daddy now sweetie?" Bridget asked with a smile

"Daddy work'n" Lilly replied, "Where's momma?"

Bridget was speechless. Horatio could tell that his new CSI was starting to become emotional so he chimed in. Bridget was startled.

"Something has happened to your momma, we are trying to figure it out do you think you could come with us to the police station?" Horatio asked as he squatted down and tilted his head.

Just then there was commotion downstairs. It was Lilly's father trying to get into the house he was distraught. Lilly recognized his voice instantly and leaped up off the floor and ran to get him. The two embraced at the front door as Bridget and Horatio followed.

"Wh... What happened?" The man asked while he held his daughter and cried

"It appears your wife was murdered." Horatio told him in a quiet tone so he wouldn't spook Lilly.

"Sir what is your name?" Bridget interjected

"My name is John, John Caper. I work for the Miami Dade hospital I am a surgeon there. One of my co-workers notified me that there was a commotion in my neighborhood and I knew my wife and Lilly were home so I decided to come check and… Oh God" John talked fast and broke down at the end of his speech.

"Mr. Caper I am going to have these officers bring you and your daughter to the station for some questioning, okay?" Horatio told the man.

John cooperated and was escorted to the police cruiser. Horatio followed the officers out but not before handing the new CSI a complement and applauding her work. Suddenly Ryan Wolfe appeared with a giggle.

"Damn new girl, already getting complements on your first day." Ryan smiled

Natalia overheard Ryan's comment from across the hall and laughed.

"Ryan have you ever gotten a complement from H?" Natalia snickered

"There was that one time!" Ryan fought back

Eric and Calleigh chimed in from the kitchen.

"He doesn't hand them out often so take it an cherish it." Eric chuckled

 ** _That Night_**

Bridget walked through the front door of her apartment absolutely exhausted. She threw her keys down on the side table next to the door and made her way to the couch (it was a lot closer than her room down the hall on the right). With a sigh she threw herself down on the dark brown leather loveseat. She grabbed the remote off of the wooden coffee table and put on the news as background noise. She looked out the window directly to her left and then back at the television. She clicked her phone and took note of the fact it was quarter to 8:00 and closed her eyes.

 _Andrew! We have to leave now! I grabbed the girl lets go!_

 _Bridget we can't just leave evidence!_

 _Don't be stupid! I smell gas I think this is a trap!_

 _Okay I am coming!_

 _Andrew hurry up!_

 _BANG! Bridget flew off the front steps into the grass with the toddler in her arms and her partner inside._

 _ANDREW!_

Bridget shot straight up panting and sweating. She swung her legs off of the couch and leaned forward placing her forearms on her thighs. She hung her head with her eyes shut to try and stop the tears from coming out while still trying to catch her breath. She grabbed her phone to check the time and was surprised it was 1:00am. Bridget was also surprised she had a voicemail from Horatio.

"Shit." Bridget muttered as she tapped around to play the message, once on speaker she played it.

 _"_ _Hello Bridget it's Horatio I just wanted to touch base with you after today. I remember during your interview you said the case you worked on in Fort Lauderdale was a difficult one and this one is very similar. I just thought I would let you know if you needed anything you could let me know. Thanks."_

Bridget was stunned. Of all the things she heard about Horatio Caine's involvement and protectiveness of his team she didn't think she would be part of it so fast. Bridget stood up and went into the kitchen, which was on her left through a pair of French doors. Even though it was 1:00am she was starving and wanted come cereal.

Her kitchen was white and black, when first walking in there is an island with stools directly to the right is the fridge, stove and dishwasher. The kitchen walls are all lined with counters and cabinets. Bridget grabbed the milk out of the fridge, a bowl from the cabinet on the left and rice crispies. She sat down on one of stools and proceeded to make and eat her cereal and do some cleaning.

Bridget has done these sleepless nights before, ever since Andrew died. Bridget couldn't help but feel like it was her fault for not getting them out fast enough. She tried to shake the thoughts out of her head and just relax. The next time she looked at the clock it was 5:30am.

 _Well I guess 5 hours of sleep isn't too bad_ Bridget thought to herself as she folded laundry-watching CNN. Suddenly Bridget realized she never answered Horatio and decided to fire off a text to him.

Thanks Horatio I will be sure to let you know

-Bridget

"Well at least the apartment is clean." Bridget said to herself as she stifled a yawn. "I guess I can shower and get ready for work and just go in at 7:00 and be early"

 ** _At The Lab_**

With her coffee in hand Bridget walked into the lab trying to conceal the fact she has been up since 1:00am. To her surprise she wasn't the only one in the lab at 7:15. She noticed someone in one of the analysis rooms so she went in.

"Ryan?" Bridget asked immediately taking a swig of coffee

"New girl? Why are you here so early?" Ryan asked perplexed

"I could ask you the same thing." She leaned to her right side and cocked up her eyebrow

"OCD, I can't help it I like to work on the freshly cleaned tables," Ryan said

"Ah, I had a rough night sleep and was bored." Bridget giggled

"Well H is in his office if you want to talk to him, I am not sure if he left last night I am pretty positive he is wearing the same suit as yesterday but then again they all look the same to me." Ryan told Bridget as he tested samples

Bridget nodded and left Ryan, she walked to the locker room. Horatio caught a glimpse of her and decided to follow her to the locker room. Bridget walked in to the locker room and plopped down on the bench, she was exhausted but it wasn't anything she hadn't tackled before. She heard someone knock on the metal and she quickly turned to she her redheaded boss.

"Morning H!" Bridget tried to sound awake and alert

"Good morning Ms. Anderson, do you mind if I sit with you?" Horatio asked with a smile. Horatio didn't want to admit it but he felt as if he was developing romantic feelings with Bridget. He started to feel this way immediately following her interview.

"No not at all" Bridget tapped the space next to her and he sat down.

"So yesterday when you were talking to the little girl I noticed you started to get a bit choked up, are you okay?" Horatio asked politely

"Yeah, just… just some bad memories I guess." Bridget said as she looked at the floor

"If you don't mind me asking is it about the case you were on prior to working here?" Horatio asked, he knew how hard some of these investigations were

"Yes" Bridget was unsure if she should open up to her boss or keep quiet.

"I still have nightmares about it." Bridget admitted, usually not this willing to give up such precious information but she felt safe to tell Horatio.

"Unfortunately I understand completely." Horatio said as he smiled "If you need something let me know." He tapped her knee/thigh stood up and left the locker room.


	3. Chapter 3- June part 1

Other than the murder of Mrs. Caper, Bridget's first month with the department flew by. Her relationships with the team were that of family, which Bridget appreciated more than anything. Bridget and Natalia had become very close friends over the past month. The group decided to go out to the bar two weeks ago after solving the Caper case and since then Bridget and Natalia were inseparable.

Bridget walked into the lab at 9:00am this morning wearing he favorite pair of black heels, black slacks and an orange blouse. As soon as the elevator opened she knew there was going to be something different about today. Ryan was standing against one of the beams talking on his phone attempting to be discrete. Calleigh was assumingly in the ballistics lab she practically lived there. Eric darted into the trace lab and Natalia was in one of the front offices. Bridget decided to go talk to Natalia, she had a weird feeling.

Standing at a big glass table with papers sprawled out all over it was Natalia. She slumped down into one of the many chairs surrounding the table and let out a big sigh.

"Hey Nat" Bridget said as she walked into the office.

"Hi" Natalia said distantly, clearly distracted

"What are you doing?" Bridget giggled

"H wanted me to look at an old case file," Natalia said as she filed through some pictures

"Where IS Horatio?" Bridget asked

"His office" Natalia looked up "He told me he wanted to see you."

"Oh… I guess I should do that now then." Bridget said

"Probably, hey do you want to go out for drinks later?" Natalia asked

"Yeah sure! I'll let you know what Horatio says." Bridget said as she walked out of the office

Bridget got to Horatio's office and took a deep breath. She knocked on his door lightly and heard him say, "Come in." Bridget walked through the door to see Horatio sitting at his desk shuffling through paperwork, when he looked up to see it was Bridget he stopped immediately.

"Hello Bridget" Horatio said with a smile

"Hi Horatio, you wanted to see me?" Bridget asked

"Yes, I have a question for you if you have time" Horatio said still smiling

"Of course I have time." Bridget said as she sat in one of his chairs

"I was hoping you might like to go to dinner with me tonight" Horatio was beaming

Bridget was caught off guard she has had feelings for him since her initial interview but tried to ignore them. She could have never imagined he would feel the same way.

"I would love to actually." Bridget said with a smile feeling herself blush.

"How does 7:00pm sound?" Horatio couldn't wipe the grin off of his face

"Perfect actually!" Bridget replied she stood up and started to walk out running into one of his chairs. "Well I am going to uh… go back to… work now" She darted out of his room giggling like a little girl _I can't wait to tell Natalia_ she thought.

Still in the same office Natalia went through the old files while patiently waiting for Bridget to come back. Suddenly Bridget busted through the door huffing and puffing from running, Natalia laughed.

"Yeah?" Natalia was giggling

"You will never, and I mean NEVER guess what just happened." Bridget said as she caught her breath

"Hit me." Natalia said looking at Bridget

"Horatio just asked me to go to dinner with him tonight!" Bridget couldn't contain her excitement

"Seriously?" Natalia was shocked

"Right?! I mean I would have never thought-" Bridget was interrupted

"You are telling me you couldn't tell this whole time he wanted to ask you out?" Natalia scoffed

"Wait what?" Bridget sat down across from Natalia

"Oh come on Bridget, he complemented you on your very first day, he constantly watches you as you walk around the lab, I mean you actually make the man laugh." Natalia said, laughing herself.

"Well… I… uh." Bridget was speechless

"We can do drinks tomorrow night so you can tell me all about your date." Natalia said smiling

 ** _That Night_**

Bridget was getting ready for Horatio to pick her up for their date. She was wearing her favorite heels and a short black strapless dress. She straightened her long black hair and perfected her make-up. She heard a knock at her apartment door and when she opened it she was shocked. Horatio was in a black suit with a purple undershirt, his sunglasses were in his hands. He looked at Bridget with his childish grin with his piercing blue eyes melting her heart.

"Shall we?" Horatio asked putting his arm up so they could lock elbows

"We shall." Bridget said with a giggle reciprocating his request

The two arrived at a little Italian place, Horatio being the gentleman he is hurried out of the car so he could open the door for his lady. Bridget was flattered, the last time anyone was this attentive to her was when she was dating Andrew. The two walked in and sat at a table all the way in the back of the restaurant. The restaurant was dimly lit with about 20 tables.

The waiter gave them both a glass of white wine and menus. Horatio ordered the chicken Parmesan and Bridget ordered chicken and broccoli Alfredo. When the two were finally left alone they got into deep conversations. Bridget told Horatio everything about her childhood, her schooling, and her struggles. Bridget told him about almost everything except about Andrew. Horatio reciprocated telling her about his abusive childhood, his brother and even talked about Marisol. Bridget felt a certain amount of guilt that Horatio told her about Marisol but Bridget did reciprocate and tell him about Andrew.

The two were out until close to 11:00pm. At the end of the night Horatio drove Bridget home. The two hugged at her door and she kissed his cheek, Horatio blushed and walked away. Bridget went into her apartment beaming. She threw her keys down on the side table and kicked off her heals. She headed down the hall on her right towards her bedroom. She walked into the small room feeling the soft carpet beneath her. Her queen size bed was made and directly in front of the door on the back wall. Her walk in closet was to her right and her vanity was on the left. Bridget leaped into her bed clutching one of her many pillows smiling. She wasn't laying down for long before she fell asleep in her little black dress.

 _Three loud knocks at the door_

 _Ma'am, is your name Bridget Anderson?_

 _Yes is everything all right officer?_

 _Ms. Anderson I'm afraid there has been an accident_

 _What kind of accident?_

 _Your foster mother has been hit and killed by a drunk driver_

 _No, no this can't be true…_

 _We can take you to the hospital to say goodbye ma'am_

 _No, no…_

"NOOO!" Bridget shot straight up in bed crying and sweating

"God dammit!" Bridget threw one of her pillows across the wall

Bridget swung her legs over the edge of the bed placing her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. She took a deep breath and looked at her alarm clock the time read 3:00am. She got up and walked to the bathroom, she knew she would have a hard time sleeping so she decided to shower.

While in the shower Bridget thought about her date with Horatio, she couldn't help but feel guilty that she didn't tell him about Andrew she didn't want him to think poorly of her as a CSI even though the policies of the FLPD are different from MDPD.

She got out of the shower and after drying off and changing into her pajamas she decided to go to the kitchen for some tea. Once her tea was made she went over to the couch and plopped down. Bridget grabbed the remote off of the coffee table, swung her legs up on the couch and turned on CNN. Bridget slowly sipped her tea trying not to think about her nightmare. She put her mug on the coffee table; she pressed info on the remote and saw it was 5:00am. _Two and a half hours, I can get two more hours of sleep._ She thought to herself. Bridget closed her eyes and hoped for the best.


	4. Chapter 4- June part 2

**_Later that morning at the lab_**

Bridget walked into the lab less than enthused; she had another nightmare and woke back up quarter to 6:00. This meant that she had two nightmares in one night and only got 5 hours of sleep. This was becoming a pattern and knew the potential consequences of only averaging 30hrs of sleep a week. As Bridget walked through the elevator doors Natalia noticed Bridget's apparent lack of sleep and decided to talk to her.

"Hey Bridget" Natalia frowned

"What's up Natalia?" Bridget said trying to prevent a yawn

"How was your date with H?" Nat asked quietly

"The date was amazing! We connected so well! We told each other everything!" Bridget said

"Everything?" Natalia knew how Bridget was when it came to Andrew

"Well he told me everything…" Bridget said looking down "I couldn't bring myself to tell him about Andrew, I mean he told me about Marisol for God sake and I couldn't get myself to say a word." Bridget was upset

"It's okay, you will tell him eventually I mean you haven't known each other that long I am surprised he told you as much as he did!" Natalia said as she grabbed Bridget's shoulder

Just then Bridget saw Horatio walking down the hallway. When the two locked eyes he immediately smiled, Bridget blushed. Natalia noticed Bridget's cheeks change color and decided to turn around; when she saw H she smiled at Bridget and walked away.

"Ms. Anderson" Horatio smiled

"Horatio" Bridget smiled

"Did you enjoy last night?" Horatio asked while fiddling with his sunglasses

"I did, what about you?" Bridget replied leaning to her side

"Very much so" Horatio winked at her

"I'm glad, we should go on a date again we are pretty compatible don't you think?" Bridget smiled

"I'd agree" Horatio laughed

Bridget laughed and walked down the hallway to the locker room as Horatio watched. She changed and headed off to the trace lab. Bridget was absolutely exhausted but tried to focus on her work. Ryan came into the lab and noticed Bridget was off.

"Hey new girl!" Ryan said cheerfully as he approached the counter

"Hey Ryan, are you busy?" Bridget asked trying to conceal her exhaustion

"I was just coming in to see if you wanted help," Ryan said as he crossed his arms

"Yeah I would love some! I am trying to run these samples and my brain just wont let me!" Bridget was frustrated

"That's okay let me try." Ryan said as he put gloves on

Ryan switched spots with Bridget and showed her what she was doing wrong. He was surprised at her mistake it was nothing like her.

"Are you okay? This isn't like you." Ryan asked as he looked at Bridget

"Yeah I am fine, I guess I am just tired." Bridget replied slightly embarrassed

"It gets easier, the first few months are rough but then you're used to the routine." Ryan smiled

"Well thanks, I appreciate it." Bridget smirked

Ryan left the trace lab and decided to go talk to Horatio. Ryan was worried about Bridget and didn't want to ignore the situation. While talking to Horatio, Horatio told Ryan he felt like something was off with Bridget when she first walked in but attributed it to being the morning. Horatio decided to talk to Bridget once the day was over.

 ** _In the lab locker room, 6:00pm_**

 ****Bridget walked into the locker room using her last bits of energy to conceal her exhaustion. Bridget made sure she was the last CSI to leave for the day so she didn't have to put on a show anymore. She stood in front of her locker in a daze; she plopped down on the bench putting her head and her hands, she took a deep breath and started to cry.

Horatio walked into the locker room and frowned. He watched as each sob took the life out of Bridget. Every breath she took turned into a desperate plea for help that she didn't want.

"Bridget?" Horatio asked quietly

Bridget held her breath; she couldn't imagine how awful she must look. Bridget looked up to see her redheaded boss staring at her. Bridget's big blue eyes were bloodshot and her face was soaked. Her make-up was smeared and trailing down her face, she looked tired. She took a deep breath and wiped the tears away from her face.

"Yes Horatio?" Bridget's voice quivered

"What's wrong sweetheart?" Horatio asked as he approached the bench and sat next to her

"I'm exhausted I barley slept at all last night." Bridget said looking down

"What was the nightmare about?" Horatio asked as he rubbed her back

"My foster mom's accident, I don't know why almost 12 years later I still have nightmares about it." Bridget said putting her head in her hands

"Bridget, it has been over thirty years and I still have vivid nightmares about my childhood." Horatio said clasping his hands together looking at her.

Bridget leaned her head on Horatio's shoulder. The two sat in comfortable silence until she fell asleep. Horatio grabbed her things, picked her up and carried her to his car. Horatio drove her home and put her into bed, he crashed on the couch.


	5. Chapter 5- July

A few weeks had past by since Horatio brought Bridget home and the two grew incredibly close. They were constantly talking or texting and even though their romance is blooming, and blooming fast the past week has been tense in the lab. There is a serial killer on the loose and taunting the team with each killing. Bridget was secretly staying late being careful not to log her extreme overtime hours.

Bridget paced around the crime lab thinking about the evidence and what would compel someone to kill innocent people. She looked up at the clock _1:00am_.

"Damn." Bridget muttered to herself. "Horatio would kill me if he knew I was here right now." She chuckled

As Bridget approached one of the tabletops she felt a sudden wave of nausea and then became dizzy. She stumbled a bit before tightly grabbed onto the table trying not to fall. Bridget closed her eyes and started to take deep breaths hoping to get some relief. She decided to sit on the floor.

"I'm okay, I'm okay." Bridget said to herself over and over again. She knew she had to get to the locker room to be able to sleep while successfully hiding herself from her co-workers.

Bridget crawled out of the forensic lab and into the hallway trying not to collapse on the floor from exhaustion. She crawled slowly but rhythmically so she could get to her destination fast. She finally reached the locker room and made her way to the bench that sits in front of her locker. Then it dawned on her, if she could make it to her car she could sleep in there for two or three hours, set an alarm for 6am before anyone including Ryan got to the lab then quickly run home shower, change and come back.

Bridget mustered up enough energy to stand up and walk out to the parking lot to her car. She set an alarm for 6am and quickly fell asleep.

 ** _That morning, 7:30am_**

"Bridget?" Ryan tapped vigorously on her car door window; he could hear her alarm off of her phone beeping.

Bridget was startled and let out a scream. She opened the door and asked Ryan what time it was. When he told her it was 7:30 her eyes widened, she slammed the door, started the car and drove off. Ryan was left standing in the parking lot confused and decided to call Natalia.

"Hello?" Natalia answered the phone

"Yeah… Nat it's Ryan, I just found Bridget sleeping in her car in the parking lot and when I woke her up she started the car and drove off quite quickly do you have any idea what that could be about." Ryan asked quite confused

"Uhm, no I have no idea… I uh, I will let you know." Natalia hung up.

 ** _9:00am_**

Bridget walked into the lab with her long black hair pulled back in a ponytail; she had a very large coffee in one hand and her purse in the other. She was wearing a short-sleeved maroon blouse and black slacks. The first person she ran into was Ryan.

"Hi Ryan!" Bridget grinned as she tried to walk past him but he grabbed her arm and stopped her

"Excuse me, do not act like 7:30 this morning didn't happen!" Ryan was dumbfounded

"Listen it was a late night, I wasn't comfortable driving home and I was hoping to wake up and get home before someone saw me!" Bridget smiled

"How late are we talking new girl because I know that everyone including Horatio left at 10pm last night." Ryan replied

"It doesn't matter how late, I made more developments in the case and that is what matters." Bridget stated. She started to walk away when she quickly turned around and said, "Please no matter what you do, do NOT tell Horatio!"

"Okay?" Ryan replied as he shook his head in confusion.

Further down the hallway Bridget saw Natalia. Bridget suddenly realized Natalia knew what happened this morning because she gave Bridget a look of "why are you so stupid"

"Bridget!" Natalia said forcefully

"I don't want to talk about it" Bridget told her as she walked into the locker room

"Does it look like I care? Ryan told me-" Natalia was cut off

"Forget what Ryan told you because it doesn't matter" Bridget told her as she put her stuff in her locker and took a long drink of coffee

"You are lucky I like you enough not to tell Horatio because he would kill you" Natalia said as she left.

Bridget collapsed on the bench, she felt like absolute garbage. She knew she had bags under her eyes but she tried to conceal them with her makeup. She was far from hungry or thirsty but knew she needed the coffee to function. She felt like she had a fever but was reluctant to give into it. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, suddenly she heard,

"Hello beautiful"

"Hi Horatio, I just got here I am sorry I will be out in a second." She replied

"That's okay, I was just coming in to say hi." Horatio left the locker room

Bridget stood up bracing herself on the lockers, she took another deep breath and a swig of coffee and walked out of the locker room bracing herself for another long day and night.


End file.
